Dress The Doorway

What could be a more inviting welcome mat for your family, friends and guests than a dramatic display of greenery and flowers right at your doorstep? My recent meandering around London’s quaint townhouses on the Fourth of July put me on a course of discovery of some of the most beautiful and interesting doorways. Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July (and why should they), the English seem to lavish their post-colonial energy on their flower boxes and porticoes. They don’t quite get the red white and blue theme, but they sure know how to dress their doorways! No matter how humble or modest your abode, this is a great way to welcome your guests to your home, while generously adding beauty to and bringing in a little nature for your neighbors and your neighborhood.Window boxes have a long history, dating back to ancient Rome, where they were used as small gardens to cultivate food, herbs and medicines. Over time, their use became purely decorative, and their styles evolved throughout Europe. France is known for its wrought-iron window boxes that mirror the stunning and pervasive balconies across Paris, reminders of Baron Haussmann's controversial rebuilding under Napoleon's reign. Throughout Northern Europe, wire and hay baskets abound with happy and colorful geraniums, pansies and ivy for an antiquated, cottage look. Simple, painted wood flower boxes hung from every home in colonial America, and today we see varieties of these window boxes and planters in brownstones, high-rise apartment rooftop terraces, and especially on the East End with planter boxes, arbors and manicured gated entrances.

These little captivating and seductive vignettes, in the guise of petunias and topiary and flowering plants, were displayed everywhere I looked in spite of the horrid humid weather of summer London. Front entrances seemed so simple and elegant with the design of stone and tile walkways, the use of Belgian block and the black-and-white checkerboard pattern on the ground leading to the front door. Who could resist knocking on one of these doors and leaving a flier? From the look of these robust plants and flowers, spilling abundantly over their chic, black lacquered boxes, I had to ask myself, what kind of flower booster are they putting in these plants? I guess they just can’t help themselves since there is hardly a balcony, window or doorway in London without the welcoming romance of greenery, topiaries or flowers. Just part of the British DNA, I suppose.

Helena Cresci, who owns the floral design company Florea NY, suggests that whatever type of container you choose to house your mini-garden, it needs to allow for good drainage (yes, you might have to drill holes in that favorite planter of yours), and a drainage mat, gravel or shards of clay helps capture the soil, allows water to flow through and lets the roots spread out. Ms. Cresci says, “The bigger the pot, the less you will have to water, whereas smaller pots may need to be watered daily.” To aid in choosing a container, and the plants for that matter, let yourself be guided by the desire to enhance the door or entrance to make it a focal point or maybe the need to hide something unsightly, like an AC unit. Ms. Cresci adds, “You might choose muted colors to enhance the floor or door, or pick bright red containers with yellow flowers if you have a boring door. However, the colors should complement the house and the entrance and set the mood that you are entering an elegant and friendly home.”

The containers and the plants they house are equally important—it is the whole look that counts. Containers come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Ms. Cresci favors metal urns, wood or clay containers, although the clay ones can crack in the winter. She recommends fiberglass planters, because they are lightweight and can be painted. “They take much lower maintenance, don’t rot and won’t have to be replaced so often,” she said. You can get really creative, especially on the East End, by using those sinks or old bathtubs that get excised during renovations.

Ms. Cresci suggests different plantings every season. “In the spring, I would plant bulbs and pansies; in the winter, evergreens, twigs, cones, eucalyptus or holly berries; in the fall, try kale, mums and berries; and of course in the summer, anything goes—pick your favorites! Just be aware of the light.” Your ultimate choice of plants will depend on the location of your containers—whether they are in total shade or facing the sun.

As to the selection of your plantings, go for different textures, shapes and heights, varieties of greens and flowers. “It is the same as interior design, it is all about the foliage and different colored leaves,” said Ms. Cresci. “The flowers and plants can be brown and gray, or you might choose big tropical plants with big leaves and flowers, or Italian red geraniums or flowers that will trail down from your balcony garden.”

For a modern feel at the beach house, you might choose topiaries or do all grasses and succulents with no flowers at all—creating an ambiance that is all about the textures. “For a romantic look,” Ms. Cresci says, “I would pick lots of flowers, not too formal, a little flowy, a little messy, maybe all pinks and whites and grays and flowers with a fragrance.” But Ms. Cresci warns to also be aware of the size of the plants. If they are too big or sprawling in front of your doorway, they may get stepped on and broken.

We should all take a page out of the London townhome owner’s book and make a bold statement with our front entries, be it a chic, black-and-white checkered walkway with radiant red flowers and a high-gloss door, or a simple front door veiled in charmingly overgrown wisteria. Choose whatever look speaks to you, because, after all, it’s how you make your first impression!